The Beginning
by CrazyBeCat
Summary: The unexpected can happen... especially when no one were to ever expect it... Karen Vick gets a divorce, and finds herself falling for her head detective... and finds him falling for her. How is it going to work? What will get in the way? Will they find a 'happily ever after', or will it be disaster? Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: Divorce

**A/N: This is an OLD story, that is up on a different site, but for some reason my computer doesn't let me on the other site anymore. And so, I have decided to move it to FFnet, in case others are unable to reach the other site as well. I have much more to this story, and so I will upload maybe every day, or every other day... or maybe a couple in one day, who knows... but as I try to find some sense inside me, maybe getting back by uploading old stuff here will help me out. **

**I have no rights of Psych, yada yada.**

**KARLTON, not even sorry I'm not sorry.**

**Freaking love Karlton.**

**And if you don't know what Karlton is: it's Carlton and Karen.**

**So yea. obscure ships for the win.**

**Love lots,**

**CBC**

* * *

Divorce

Karen wiped away the tears in her eyes as she stepped through her front door after the court hearing. She still couldn't believe her husband had been seeing another woman… Sure, they had been fighting some… ok, a lot, before she found out… but she had never once thought about cheating on him, she thought that the bout of fighting would blow over… but it got worse after his affair leaked out. 'Because of you!' he had said… 'Because you don't pay me enough attention… you're always neck deep in cases and when you get a break you spend most of your time with Iris!'

She was still livid that he had dared to say such things to her. Of course she wanted to spend time with her daughter; Iris was growing up so fast, she was already seven, and because of work Karen didn't always get to spend quality time with her. God… he hadn't even been there for the birth of their daughter, he had been stuck in traffic, leaving Lassiter to be there for her. Lassiter… her lips twitched upward slightly as she remembered the first time he had genuinely smiled at her, truly acknowledged that she was good at her position, after he'd been so rude to her because she had been below him in rank to suddenly shoot up above him. She had been his partner for a good while after Henry had retired, then the Chief had retired and she found herself surpassing him… neither liked it, but she grew to the idea faster then Carlton had.

"Mommy!" Karen looked up, drawn from her thoughts, to find her daughter running towards her with the babysitter in tow.

"Hey there baby girl, how was your day?" She couldn't help but smile widely as she picked up Iris and gave her a big squeeze.

"Good… but Mommy… I'm not a baby anymore," Iris whined as she squeezed her mother back.

"You'll always be my baby girl, no matter how big you get," Vick kissed Iris's cheek before setting her back on the floor, "Could you get me a glass of water, and pull the steak from the fridge, while I talk with Claire?"

Iris nodded happily, excited by the word steak, and skipped off in direction of the kitchen, "Be right back Mommy!"

When she was out of ear shot the babysitter turned to her, "How'd the hearing go?"

"I won, I have full custody of Iris, but he does have visitation rights. I have the house, and he'll be coming by sometime this week to pick up the assets he was able to get his grubby little hands on."

Claire smiled, "Good, Iris deserves to be with you."

"I'm going to have to change your hours around, which is good and bad. I mean, you'll be getting paid more, but if there's a day you can't watch her I'll have to bring her to the station. I don't have the time to find a second sitter, and I really don't want to have a second one. My mother did that with me… it ended horribly."

"No problem Karen. If you need me to I could ask Danielle. We both know that she has a flexible schedule, and she loves Iris just as much as I do."

Vick sighed, "Sometimes I guess we could do that, at least it would be someone that Iris knows, and I know. Maybe then I can continue to keep my divorce from leaking out at the station."

"Well, give me a call if you need help with anything," Claire smiled and headed for the door.

"Wait, Claire?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you care to stay for dinner?"

Claire smiled again, "Sure, I would love to."

* * *

_Three and a half weeks… it's been three and a half weeks… God, I can't believe I never was able to pick up on the signs of the affair… and now Iris is curious about where her dad is… and I don't know what to tell her. She's seven! She won't understand… and I don't want her hating her father like I hated mine…. _

"Chief?"

_ I guess, I guess my family 'curse' is true… just like all of the women before me… they all got divorced. I truly had thought that I would be different… so much for that…_

"Chief?"

Karen jumped slightly and wiped the tears from her face before looking up, "Yes?"

Carlton was standing above her and when he noticed the red puffiness of her face, a concerned look spread across his own, "Vick? You ok?"

She nodded, "I'm… fine…. Now, I'm pretty sure that you didn't come in here to ask how I'm doing."

Lassiter paused a moment, staring her in the eyes, before scooting a chair back and sitting down, "Chief, are you sure you're all right?"

Her voice caught in her throat forcing her to nod awkwardly as she tried not to let the tears spill down her cheeks, "I'm… per…fectly… fine," she choked out and tried to smile for reassurance.

Carlton stood and closed the blinds and door before sitting back down. "No, you're not. What's wrong?" His brow was furrowed as he kept her gaze with his own. Concern was etched so deep into his face it almost scared her that he could care so much about how she felt.

She looked away, unable to lie straight to his face when he was being so kind, "Lassiter, please… I'm fine."

"Then look me in the eyes, Karen, and tell me again."

She turned back, shock written into her features and opened her mouth to say she was fine but instead of words a sob escaped her lips, and the river of tears she was holding back fell down her already tear-worn cheeks, "I got… a divorce… almost four… weeks… ago…. He… was… having an… af… af… affair!" Burying her face into her hands she didn't see Carlton stand up until he was taking hold of her hand and pulling her to her feet.

Wrapping his arms around her in a hug he made no efforts to get her to stop crying, instead he held her close and said, "It's ok to cry. I'm right here for you."

Half an hour passed before Karen was able to stop crying, and the whole time Carlton had stood there with his arms wrapped protectively and caringly around her. They continued to stand there for a few moments and then Lassiter stepped back just enough to tip her head back to look into her eyes. He brushed her hair from her face and gave her a serene smile, "Feel better?"

Vick swore she felt her heart skip a beat as she nodded in reply.

"Good. You want to talk?"

She shook her head no and looked down at the ground, "Not… not right now."

He used her chin to tilt her head back up again and meet her saddened gaze with his own, "I'm here for you, if you ever need to talk. You're a good woman Karen, and you shouldn't feel like you're alone."

She stood there, frozen still, staring deeply into his sweet blue eyes. Before she knew what she was doing she leaned forward, and found him leaning down, to catch his lips with her own.

* * *

**So, what do you think? If you were ever on Psychfic, let me know if it's still up... cause I can't get on it.**

**Love lots,**

**CBC**


	2. Chapter 2: Sparks

**A/N: Here's chapter two, hope that you like it. **

**Since I've got all the chapters done, though I've never had a beta reader... it's super easy to update.**

**Love Lots,**

**CBC**

* * *

Sparks

She knew it was wrong… they both knew it was wrong… they had pulled away so fast after it had happened she could have sworn she had whiplash from it… yet… why did it feel so right? Karen shook her head trying to get the kiss out of her thoughts.

_It was two weeks ago, Karen! Get it out of your head! It won't happen ever again! Ever… you made that very clear when you pulled away… and he made it clear that it was wrong when he pulled away! _

Yet… ever since then she had felt slightly… happier… was that the appropriate word to use? She didn't know… but she did know that every time she saw him her heart jumped in her chest and she had to clench her fists and bit her cheek to keep herself from rav…

_No! Knock it off! Why the hell are you even thinking of that at a time like this! My God Karen what is wrong with you? How can you even think about that! _

Shuddering she pulled her robe tighter around herself despite the warmth of the bathroom from her recent shower. Furrowing her brow when her doorbell rang she began to make her way out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

"I'll get it mommy!" She heard Iris call enthusiastically from downstairs.

Slowing her pace she smiled to herself at how well she was getting over the divorce. Maybe she couldn't quite explain things to Iris, but she was beginning to find it easier to deal with.

_Ever since the… _

Karen mentally slapped herself at the thought that popped into her head, and was happy to find Iris bouncing up the stairs to meet her, "There's a man at the door wanting to speak with you. Says you're his boss."

Speak of the devil… "Thanks Iris, could you go to your room for a while, we have some important business to discuss."

"Okie-Dokie," Iris smiled and skipped to her room without hesitation.

Taking a breath Karen licked her lips and pulled her robe even tighter before she stepped down the stairs to find Carlton standing in the foyer, "Detective Lassiter, what do I owe such a pleasure as a visit from you on my one day off this month?"

_Wait… did he just… blush? _She thought to herself as Lassiter's cheeks turned a slight red.

"I wanted to bring by some paperwork for you to sign so that we can close a few cases. It won't take more then five minutes of your time," Carlton said gruffly as he handed her a folder.

"Thanks, come to the living room so you can sit while you wait."

He nodded as he followed in her footsteps. She grabbed a pen from the cup on a table and sat down on one end of the couch, forcing herself to open the file and not look Lassiter in the eyes.

/

Carlton sat on the other end, crossed his legs, and let his eyes wander anywhere but the woman in the room… who was in a light sky blue robe that complimented her golden hair and brightened her heavenly eyes. _Slow down, Carlton, her daughter's upstairs... no, more importantly, she's your boss. _

A few silent minutes passed and Lassiter saw, out of the corner of his eye, the folder being closed. Standing slowly he sucked in a breath, forcing himself to remain calm when Karen stood up.

/

Karen swallowed her nerves and stood, surprised to see Lassiter doing the same since she had noted that he hadn't been looking at her. Smiling she handed him the folder, and looked up… locking eyes with him… her breath caught in her throat and before she could stop she found her lips crushing against his. He stepped closer, closing off all distance that was left and tangled his free hand into her damp hair. She could feel him trace her bottom lip with his tongue and she, against her better efforts to pull away, found herself opening her mouth, allowing him to explore.

/

Carlton dropped the folder on the table pressing his now free hand against her cheek as they continued to deepen the kiss. He tried to reason with himself and back away but her sweet vanilla smell was clouding his judgment and before he knew what was happening they were sitting down onto the couch, lips locked together, playing a game of tongue tag.

/

_Stop it! Stop it, stop it! Pull away, pull away! _Karen shouted forcefully in her head but instead found herself grabbing hold of his suit jacket, pulling him on top of her, her head resting against the armrest of the couch. _Knock it off, Karen! That's an order! _

She found herself groaning slightly as she felt him rub against her. _No, Karen, end it here, you're done, knock it off! Stop it, stop it, stop it!_

_/_

Carlton could feel the blood rushing to his nether regions and tried ordering his body to stop but it felt like his brain had been disconnected from the rest of him. _She's my boss… she's my boss… she's my boss… she's my boss… _He kept reminding himself but apparently his body could care less…

_Stop! Break away… knock it off! That's an order! Break away, stop it, stop it, stop it!_ Finally her body listened to her brain and she lightly pushed Carlton away, breaking the bondage their lips had created.

Clearing his throat Lassiter practically jumped away, grabbed the file swiftly and spoke slightly out of breath, "My lunch break is almost over… I should be getting back."

She nodded as she stood from the couch and she walked with him the door , "I'll see you tomorrow detective."

"See you tomorrow Chief," He said almost curtly as he exited the house.

About five steps down the walkway he found himself turning around and walked back, taking gentle hold of her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers again. He could feel her smiling against his mouth and forced himself to end it. Smiling tightly he nodded, "Good-bye Chief," then he turned, and again, forced himself to get into his car and not turn back to tear off the robe she was dressed in.

* * *

Carlton tensed as Shawn burst out into a frenzy of girlish giggles when he saw Lassiter walk rigidly through the station, "What did you eat Lassie? Ants?"

"Shut it Spencer," Lassiter growled as he made his way to the file drawers and properly filed away the signed documents that Karen had signed…

_Knock it off Carlton… or I'll shoot you through the head… no, what are you talking about… I won't shoot myself… oh, yes I will if you keep thinking about…_

For once in his life he was happy for Shawn to interrupt his thoughts, "Oh, I'm sorry, it's more like: _What's_ eating you?" He laughed harder and bumped fists with Gus.

Lassiter rolled his eyes and headed for his desk, planning on burying his thoughts deep into paperwork.

He scowled to himself when he heard Shawn ask O'Hara what his problem was.

"No idea Shawn, why don't you just leave him alone for once?"

Carlton glanced up using just his eyes and saw Shawn pouting. He shuddered as he remembered the day he had caught them kissing in the interrogation room. That had been two years ago, and he sometimes still wondered why he hadn't let the cat out of the bag, but it didn't matter now since she now had an engagement ring on her finger.

He scowled again when his thoughts strayed to the hot, passionate kiss he and Vick had shared not even a half hour ago and slammed his pencil against the desk, breaking off the tip, "Damn it!" He growled and stood to ask the secretary if he could use the sharpener since his was broken and he hadn't gotten around to getting a new one.

"Hey Lassie, maybe you should go to physical therapy, get that waddle checked out!" Shawn snorted as he collapsed to the ground in a massive fit of giggles.

_Oh God… does he know? Did he see in a vision!... Oh, my, God… I did not just do that! I did not just practically admit that Shawn could possibly be psychic! _He felt like gagging at the insanity his emotions were making him swim through.

Sharpening his pencil he sat back down and glanced at the clock, groaning when he realized he still had four hours of work before his shift ended. Four more hours of Shawn after what happened… he ran a hand down his face and bit his cheek as he felt himself getting warm at the thought of Karen standing there in her robe. His body pressed against her own… he scowled for the third time in ten minutes and felt like dying when his southern side continued to grow hotter.

* * *

Lassiter slammed back another glass of whiskey as he tried to wash his brain free of the feelings he was feeling, "She's my boss for heaven's sake! It's not morally correct to want to sleep with your boss! It's not proper to want to… tangle your hands in her hair, claim her lips with your own… rip any clothing she's wearing off and make her yours…." He found his cheeks flushing a hot red and this time drank straight from the bottle, basking in the burning feeling it sent down his throat. After the last chug he slammed the bottle down (surprised it didn't crack beneath the weight) and headed upstairs to take a long, ice-cold shower.

* * *

Juliet laughed delightfully when she saw Shawn walk from the kitchen in nothing but his boxers carrying a tray with his famous (and unbelievably delicious… as well as insanely sweet) pineapple upside down cake, "So this is why you came home early today," She smiled as he set the tray down and she wrapped her arms around his neck pressing a sweet kiss against his lips.

He pulled her waist to him and kissed back, "Of course, I thought today would be a wonderful day to celebrate."

"Hmm… what about?"

"Well, don't you remember?"

"Yes, but tell me again."

He kissed her at the base of the neck then made a small trail up her neck across her jaw line and then to her lips, "Today marks the seventh year that we have known each other."

She nodded and a sparkle in her eye caught his attention, "Seven years…"

"What is going on in that adorable head of yours?"

"Well, I was thinking that seven years should be celebrated with more then just upside down cake…"

"Hmm… what do you have in mind?"

"Why don't you grab that tray and follow me upstairs to find out?"

He kissed her collarbone and smiled against her soft skin, "I like that idea… I like that idea very much."

She smiled sexually and released him to make a sexy dash up the stairs with Shawn on her heels, "What about the cake Shawn?"

"The cake… can be considered desert."


	3. Chapter 3: Undeniable Feelings

Undeniable Feelings

Karen forced herself to think straight when she saw Lassiter walk across the station to fill his mug with coffee… she couldn't believe where things had almost gone the other morning. He had been so warm, and gentle, and the spicy sent of his aftershave drove her crazy… and when she could feel…

She clenched her fists and listened to the cracking of her old school pencil… "Damn… that's the third one…" she muttered to herself as she reached over to grab another one. Looking up she found herself unintentionally making eye contact with the detective. Her face turned a scarlet red and she spun her chair around quickly, forcing herself to breath properly, "My God Karen, you're acting like a lovesick schoolgirl." She scorned herself, grimacing. Turning back around she was relieved to see that Lassiter was no longer standing so close but instead was at his desk, turned in the opposite direction from her office.

Shivering at the difference between her body temperature and the air around her she scowled at the way she was behaving and broke yet another pencil.

* * *

The kiss… it had been two days and Lassiter couldn't get his blasted mind away from the day he almost made love to his boss… the sweet passionate kiss that tasted sweet and sugary… the feel of her soft cheeks beneath his rough palms. The furry robe she was wearing… the slow, lingering, fiery kiss… she had such a sweet taste and it only intensified as they played tongue tag…. Looking up from his paperwork (things had been incredibly slow the past few days) he glanced into her office to catch her gaze with his. A rush of blood fled downward and he mentally cursed as he looked away.

Cracking his knuckles loudly he grabbed the fork he'd used for lunch and stabbed it into his leg, sighing inaudibly when the blood flow returned to normal.

God… he could not keep doing this… he was starting to get tired of taking cold showers.

* * *

"Lassiter? Could you come into my office for a minute?"

Shit… he stood and made his way over, "Yes Chief?"

"Close the door please?"

_What is she? Crazy?_ His eyes grew wide but he did as she told. When he turned back he noticed that she'd turned her chair around so she wasn't look at him. _Ok… maybe she's not._

"Care to tell me when you got injured? You know it's part of protocol, to ensure that I don't send you on a case that could make it worse in anyway."

He mentally relaxed as he answered, "It was three days ago, I got angry and forgot I was holding a fork in my hand. Just four very minor stab wounds, nothing to be concerned about Chief."

She stood up and he tensed, but didn't turn around, "I guess I can let it slide this time, but next time you get angry, please, try not to stab yourself in the leg, it may be a knife next time for all we know."

"Yes Vick, understood."

"Good to hear it, back to work then, who knows when we'll get some crazy case so let's finish up the last of the paperwork that's been building up."

"Yes Chief," he replied, but didn't turn to go… which ended up being a bad decision, because she turned around. Locking eyes they stood there staring at each other for a moment each unable to break contact in time before they stepped to each other and their lips met. It ended just as fast as it started, both remembering where their last kiss had almost landed them, and Lassiter grunted as he straightened his jacket, "Back to paperwork, got it."

* * *

Karen's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of Lassiter coming around the corner from the filing room. She could feel her face flushing and her heart rate began to speed up. Reaching into her drawer she grabbed a brand new pencil and snapped it in half, trying to regain control of her straying thoughts… _Three kisses… the last one was a week ago… so quick, yet so… so… _She looked back up to find Carlton watching her, again. "Damn it!" She cursed to herself as she tried to remain calm. Smiling at her head detective she nodded then forced her eyes away from him and looked aimlessly at the papers that were cluttering her normally very tidy desk.

_Damn these emotions… damn the divorce… damn life… damn nature… damn it all…. This is so… so… not… not morally correct that's what. It's not right._

Looking back up she cursed herself when she found Lassiter still staring in her direction. Her face flushed an even darker crimson and she grabbed a piece of the pencil she had just snapped in two, and broke it in two again.

* * *

Lassiter looked up at the sound of a door opening and shuddered when he saw Vick stepping from her office, heading (most likely) in direction of the restroom. Her back was to him and though he tried to look down at his desk he found his eyes settling their gaze on her ass… the way her hips swayed so slightly as she walked, her muscular thighs and calves… but by golly her ass was fine… he cursed wildly to himself at the increase of blood flow to the lower half of his body and scooted closer to his desk. Tearing his eyes away he grabbed a stress ball from the corner of his desk and about ripped it in half in efforts to calm down.

This… was torture… never had he ever felt this way about someone… not even Victoria…

* * *

Three weeks… three weeks of cold showers. She couldn't believe it, something was wrong with her, there had to be something wrong… no way could she be naturally feeling so strongly for Lassiter… it wasn't possible… it wasn't right! She shivered as she stepped under the icy spray reveling in the frigid feeling that overtook her. His eyes… his mouth… the way he furrowed his brow… his ass… she loved his ass… his clean shaven face, the dark hair… she slammed her fists against the wall of the shower, not wanting to believe she was still thinking about him.

Every single time he walked by just barely in sight, her heart stopped, when their gazes met all she wanted to do was kiss him… when they would bump in the halls all she wanted to do was to leave their second kiss in the dust in comparison. She turned the water on even colder and prayed that she wouldn't end up catching a cold.

* * *

Four weeks… four whole weeks of cold showers. He couldn't believe it, couldn't comprehend the insanity he had been tossed into, there had to be something wrong… no way could he be naturally feeling so strongly for her… his boss… it wasn't possible… it wasn't right! He grimaced as he stepped under the icy spray hoping to get his mind off of the disturbing matter at hand.

Her deep chocolate hazel eyes… her carnation pink lips… the way she chewed the bottom one sometimes when she was in deep thought… her ass… the sexy way she walked… dear God did he loved her ass… her golden hair… he slammed his fists against the shower wall, not wanting to believe that he was still thinking about her. Even under a cold shower he could feel the heat building in his nether regions.

Every single time she walked by at a distance his breath would catch in his throat. When their gazes met all he wanted to do was kiss her, passionately… when they would bump in the halls he desperately wanted to leave their second kiss a long way from being remembered because of how wonderful they would be together. He wanted to make her his, he wanted to take away the hurt her husband had left in her heart and fill it with the intensity of the love he felt for her…. Carlton cursed profusely at himself and turned the water on even colder, praying he wouldn't end up catching a cold.

* * *

"Lassiter? Care to grab some lunch before we head over to the conference?" Carlton heard Karen ask.

Looking up he swallowed then glanced at his watch, two hours before the time the conference was supposed to start… "Sure."

"We'll take my car, I'm driving, get your work, let's go," She said seriously before heading to the front of the building.

_Oh man is she… _He ground his teeth together and while picking up his reports for the conference he prayed that there would be ice in his drink. Lots of ice.

Lunch went by without any problems as they averted their eyes from one another and kept silent, but as they came back to the precinct (a bit earlier than expected) after she parked, Karen laid her hand against his arm, "Detective Lassiter, we need to talk."

He sighed and leaned against the seat, "Yes, I think we do."

"We can't keep dancing around whatever is in the air. I haven't been sleeping, and it's starting to make me edgy."

"Yeah, and I've been taking cold showers for the past four weeks."

There was a small pause before they both spoke at the same time, "It's morally not correct (proper). I'm your (You're my) boss and it's not right (sane)… yet… why does it feel so right (nice)?"

They looked at each other, the surprise in the other's face matching their own. Time seemed to slow and he reached to cup her cheek in his palm, bringing her closer to him. She parted her lips ever so slightly and leaned in the rest of the way, making their lips touch in a fiery moment of crazy emotions being uncorked all at the same time.

Pulling away breathless, Karen's cheeks became a rosy shade of pink and she turned to look away, "Carlton… we're adults, both divorced, let's not do anything rash. Let's start slow and work our way from there."

"Agreed."

"How about dinner? Tonight, my place. Iris will be there since I have full custody and she'll be a helpful reminder of figuring things out before trying to fully commit ourselves to something."

Lassiter found a smile tugging at his lips, "Why Chief, are you asking me on a date?"

She turned to smile as she pushed open her door, "I guess you could call it that if you wanted."

* * *

**A/N: So whaddya think? Again, I've had this story for a long time, it's nothing new. It's posted to a different site that for some reason or another it's running anymore last I checked, so I'm posting it here.**


	4. Chapter 4: Dating

Dating

Today marked the end of the first month since Lassiter and Karen had begun to go out. Well, that is, if going out meant dinner with a seven-year-old and watching Disney movies while throwing popcorn at each other… then realizing they had to clean it up.

Lassiter smiled when he caught Vick looking up at him. He finally had control of himself, the blood flow remained normal as he watched her smile back. Things were perfect, a kiss here, or a kiss there (always out of the way of prying eyes)… he even was getting along with Iris, she loved all his crazy stories… whether they were true or not. She was deeply engrossed with even his clown story. The first child that didn't run from him, or think he was scary. Whenever he came over the first thing she would do was give him a big hug and ask how he was doing. Then she'd either lead him to the living room to play some sort of game, or to the dining room table if dinner was ready.

It was… nice, he enjoyed it. He finally found himself smiling again. He could relax and enjoy himself a little… Iris was melting his icy heart… and every time he saw her, he always remembered the day she was born, the day he had been there for Karen and her husband was stuck in traffic. When he made a fool of himself, got to cut the cord… then passed out (though he would never admit that to anyone). The day he had felt happy to be there, helping Karen, and holding her daughter pretending that she was his own.

He sighed happily then looked back down to his work, frustrated that there hadn't been any action for a good while. It was starting to make him wonder what all the creeps in the area were planning, and hoped that whatever it was it would be easy to take care of, but it would also make up for the dry spell they were creating.

* * *

Karen smiled when she noticed Carlton was watching her. Her heart fluttered and she remembered the three words he had whispered in her ear the night before after she had tucked Iris to bed.

Her daughter never seized to amazing her, but she hadn't expected Iris to say 'Goodnight Daddy' to Carlton. She had looked up in shock to see his reaction, genuinely surprised to see him smiling. He stepped into her daughter's room and kissed Iris's forehead before replying, 'Night Iris.'

It made her beam that he was willing stepping up, and stepping in, not only in her life, but in her daughter's as well. Her ex hadn't been by since the hearing, not even to pick up his things, and it made her sick that he would just forget about his daughter like that. She had never thought of him to be like that… but she guessed that was the side of him he never showed anyone… unless they were to make him angry, like he said she had. To imagine she was saying 'I love you' to a man who wouldn't even see his daughter after a divorce. God it made her sick to think that after all this time, she hadn't been able to see that maybe she was supposed to be with Carlton.

Two months and their relationship was still unknown to the precinct… even to Shawn, who had picked up on Lassiter and Barry so fast it made her head spin. Well… maybe he did know, but he sure wasn't spreading it around if he did, and that's all that mattered. Two months of homemade dinners and Disney movies with Iris. Filled with fun, and laughter, and the joy of truly smiling, and truly meaning it (as well as cleaning up the popcorn Lassiter and Iris had been throwing at each other during the boring parts of the movies).

Life had changed for the better, and she was basking in the happiness it had brought to her. She had a man who really did understand all her problems at work, one who was there with her to witness the good, the bad, and the ugly. She had a daughter who was embracing Lassiter into her life, even while not completely understanding what had happened to her real dad, and she had a crew of wonderful co-workers who did their best and more to help keep the city of Santa Barbara safe.

She smiled one of her more rare smiles and grabbed the smoothie Shawn had dropped off in her office. Taking a sip she almost snorted it out when she realized that once again he hadn't given her what she asked for, but instead ordered everyone his own personal favorite. Laughing to herself that she had forgotten that, she continued to sip at the very pineapple filled drink and watched the sun shine against Lassiter's professionally gelled hair.

* * *

"I'll get it!" Iris called happily when the doorbell rang. Karen peaked out of the kitchen to make sure it was Carlton before going back to pull the lasagna out of the oven.

"Mommy! Daddy's here!" Iris skipped happily into the kitchen dragging Lassiter behind her.

Setting the lasagna down on the counter, Vick closed the oven and removed her oven mitts, "Just in time Carlton, the lasagna needs to sit for a few minutes while it cools, giving us plenty of time to set the table." She smiled and leaned forward to meet Lassiter's lips with her own.

Pulling away they laughed at Iris who stuck out her tongue, crinkled her nose and said disgustedly, "Yuck."

"We're having salad and mashed potatoes as well, and for desert, the raspberry tart I made yesterday."

Carlton smiled and headed for the cupboard that contained the plates, "It smells wonderful, but I always have to wonder how you can home make most of your meals when you're always at work."

"I have my ways…" She said (making sure Iris wasn't looking) with a sexy smile.

Carlton laughed as he pulled three of the plates out, "Iris could you get the utensils?"

"Kay," Iris ducked under his arms and slide out the utensil drawer.

"Placemats are already out, I'll get the glasses, and if you could Carlton, grab the Martinelli's cider from the fridge after you set the plates out?"

"No problem," He replied as he made his way out of the kitchen to the dining room (with Iris in tow) as Karen opened the dishwasher to remove two wine glasses and a plastic cup.

During the meal Carlton listened to Iris tell him how school had gone, and about the boy who had been mean to her. She then smiled and declared proudly to the boy that her mommy was a cop, and so was her daddy. He had asked her if it had scared him off, and she nodded enthusiastically in response. Lassiter had laughed and put out his hand earning a hand stinging high five, then he told her that whatever she were to do she wasn't allowed to physically harm someone, because then she would end up in more trouble then the person being mean to her. Karen had smiled brightly when her daughter promised that she'd always come to either her or Carlton if she needed help in anyway.

When dinner was through Carlton helped Karen clean up while Iris went and picked out the movie they were going to watch… she chose Bambi… which ended up being turned off early because she couldn't stop laughing that Carlton started crying (silently of course) when Bambi's mother died.

After they tucked Iris in for bed (after her bath) Vick and Lassiter were sitting on the couch laughing and having a good time when Lassiter's cell phone rang, "Shh… it's O'Hara, let's not have her find out we're together over the phone."

Karen snorted as she took a sip of her wine and nodded as he answered, "Lassiter speaking, what is it O'Hara?"

_'Man was found shot to death in a back alley near Blossom and Tyler.'_

"Blossom and Tyler, that's not all that far from the Chief."

_'Or from you, but Vick is still closer.'_

"Finally… some action… well, I mean, I feel terrible for the guy who was shot… but at least now we don't have to sit around all day doing nothing but paperwork all day," Lassiter replied, earning a muted giggle from Vick. Putting his finger to his lips she nodded again and stood up, leaving the room.

_'Was that… a giggle?' Juliet asked on the other line, 'Oh my God, Lassiter you have a girl over?'_

"No, it was this commercial on the TV. I don't know what for, but I just turned it off," He said sternly.

_'Uh-huh… right… whatever then, come down to the scene, Shawn's already here but he said that either you or the Chief may be able to uncover something he can't.'_

Lassiter almost spit up the sip of wine he'd just swallowed and asked incredulously, "What? The guy can't figure it out on his own?"

_'The man has no ID on him, but Shawn says he looks a small bit familiar, like he's seen him somewhere in passing while either at your house or Vick's.'_

"Be there ASAP."

_'See you in a few minutes then. I'll call the Chief.'_

"All right," he hung up and stood from the couch setting his glass down.

"Let me guess, I'll be getting a call soon?"

"You sure are, murder on blossom and Tyler. I'll see you there," He kissed her, grabbed his coat and started to make his way out the door when she stopped him by gently grabbing hold of his hand.

"I love you."

"I love you too," he kissed her again and smiled when he heard her cell phone ring. Pulling from her, he ran his hand through her hair, "but don't forget, we'll see each other again when we get to the crime scene."

"I know, but I can't tell you I love you while we're at a crime scene unless you want our relationship to leak out."

He smiled again, "Well, I'll see you there, make sure you answer your phone."

Karen pulled her phone from her pocket and kissed him good-bye again before pressing the answer button.

* * *

Lassiter sighed as he ran a hand down his face, "No, I don't know who he is. Maybe K- Chief Vick knows though."

Shawn and Juliet gave the older detective a funny look as Karen's car drove up and she stepped out. Walking over she nodded to them as a whole, "Sorry I'm late, I was making sure Iris was asleep before I left."

"Not a problem, Lassiter doesn't know the body, but seeing that we're not too far from your home we thought maybe you would," Juliet said, "Male, estimated to be about forty, dark peppered hair." She continued as she stepped aside to let Vick see.

Karen's face paled as the body came into her view. There were twelve holes fired into his chest and by the looks of them most were close range. Oh… dear… lord…

"Chief? What's the matter?" Carlton asked professionally but when she turned to look at him she could see the concern in his eyes.

"His name is David Lawrence. He is, was, my neighbor."

* * *

**A/N: Yea, I couldn't get on very much earlier, so here's two chapters. I'll post the other two in this story later, maybe today, or tomorrow. Then there's the next one that I'll get up sometime soon as well.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Cat Gets Released

The cat gets released

"No, Claire, it's fine. Trust me, it won't be a problem for me to bring Iris down to the station. Yeah, there's someone who'll be there who can watch her…. No, he's our head psychic detective, and acts like a child himself, they're a perfect match…. All right, I'll see you tomorrow then, bye Claire," Karen hung up the phone as she put the last dish from the dishwasher away, and sighed audibly.

"What's the matter?" Carlton asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Iris's babysitter isn't able to make it today, so I have to bring her with me to the station."

"Well that won't be a problem, get Spencer to watch her, do us both a favor."

She laughed as he leaned down to give her a kiss, "That's what I told her I would do."

"See, great minds do think alike," he smiled as he rinsed off his breakfast plate and put it in the dishwasher.

"I guess we do huh?"

"You got that right," he gave her another kiss, "Well, I'd better be off, I'll see you at the station."

They kissed again, "Bye Detective."

…and again, "Good-bye Chief…" and yet again.

"All right, go before we take things upstairs again like last night," she gave him a small push and they both laughed as he let himself out.

"Mommy?" Iris called as she came walking into the kitchen.

"What is it Iris?"

"Is daddy going to sleep over often?"

Karen smiled inwardly remembering the past few nights, "Sometimes baby girl." Her daughter frowned and Vick asked confused, "What's wrong?"

"Why can't he sleep over all the time? Like my real daddy did?"

_Wow… she's acting as if Bill is dead or something… well for all I know he could be since we've had no contact since the hearing all those months ago. She's wrapped her own heart around Carlton's pinky finger, and latched onto him, replacing Bill._

She picked up her daughter and kissed her cheek, "Maybe he will Iris, someday he might want to do just that, but for now we're just seeing how it works."

Iris's frown faded, "Ok."

Putting Iris back on the ground she said in a jokingly serious voice, "Now go get your things, you're coming to work with me today."

"Will daddy be there?"

"Yes… daddy, will be there, but try not to call him daddy in front of other people, they'll get confused."

Iris cocked her head to the side, "Why would they get confused?"

"Because the people at work don't know that your real daddy doesn't live here anymore."

"Oh…"

Iris grabbed hold of her mother's hand and skipped along, with her backpack swaying back and forth in her hand, as they walked from the car into the station.

As Karen's office came into view, so did Lassiter… "Daddy!" Iris dropped her bag, released Karen's hand, and ran towards the detective, who's back was turned on them, and Karen froze, eyes wide, to meet the same expression from Lassiter as he turned around.

Oh… shit…

The whole floor became silent as eyes turned to see a miniature version of Karen running towards Lassiter with a smile on her face. Reaching Carlton the girl jumped up and glommed unto his waist squeezing tightly.

Double… shit…

"Baby-cake, could you come back please?" Karen asked.

Iris dropped from Lassiter's waist, only to grab his hand and practically drag a still shocked Detective to her mother. Releasing his hand she covered her eyes, "Ok, I'm not looking mommy, you can kiss him now."

Oh… ^&*$%*^& ...

Shawn nonchalantly swaggered towards the shocked 'couple' and knelt down beside the small girl, tapping her shoulder, "Hey, are you Iris?"

Iris turned around, taking her hand away from her eyes, and smiled, "Yup, that's me. Seven and counting, though my momma still calls me her baby."

"I see, why are you calling Detective Lassiter your dad?" Shawn asked.

"My daddy doesn't live at home anymore, and he's," she pointed to Lassiter, "at home all the time, helps finish making dinner, then we watch a movie. He even spends the nights sometimes."

Oh… double… ^&*$%*^& ...

"That's very interesting…"

"Iris, could you do mommy a favor? Take your bag and go into the room right there," Karen pointed to her office, "and start drawing some pictures to hang on the fridge."

"Ok mommy," Iris beamed as she picked up her bag then looked back at Shawn, "He's even thinking about sleeping over all…"

"All right Iris, don't bother Shawn, I have some important business to discuss with everyone so I need you to close the door for me as well."

Iris frowned, but nodded, as she walked into her mother's office and closed the door behind her. The rest of the station was silent… but of course… Shawn had to be the one to break it, "Sleep overs?…" he snorted, then broke out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter as he practically rolled around on the wood floor.

"Spencer shut it or so help me God I will-"

Lassiter started but Vick cut him off, "Carlton, there's no use in getting violent."

The detective gave her a look and she glared back, "Fine…" he grumbled as he shifted his weight to keep from punching the still laughing Spencer in the jaw.

Karen rubbed her eyes then addressed the whole room above Shawn's slowing laughter, "Yes, everything my daughter said is true. My husband and I got a divorce five and a half months ago after years of fighting and an affair he was having, which I found out from Mr. Lawrence, the man found dead a month ago."

A clamor broke out through the room and she barked at them to shut up, "Lassiter, the lead, might I remind you, on the case, already knows of this so I was not in anyway hiding possible evidence of motive from the case, just from everyone else. My ex and I have had no contact since the hearing and he has even moved out of the apartment he had moved into…" she sighed, "And yes, Detective Lassiter and I are in a steady relationship, and if you say a single thing about it I will make your life a living hell…"

Karen paused to stare every single person in the room straight in the eyes before saying, "Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" The crowd answered, and Karen then walked into her office, closing the door behind her.

Sighing she sat down at her desk and ran a hand through her hair, "Not the way I planned for that information to get out…" she mumbled to herself as she pulled some files from her inbox and began flipping through them.

"Mommy?"

"Yes baby?" She said in a strained voice, without looking in direction of her daughter.

"Did I do something wrong…? Are you mad at me?" Karen looked up at hearing the sadness in Iris's voice and saw a tear slid down her daughter's cheek.

Sighing she closed the file she was looking at and sat down next to her daughter, gathering Iris into her lap, "No, you didn't do anything terribly wrong. Unexpected, unplanned for, slightly uncalled for, and very unprepared for, but I'm not mad at you."

Iris curled her arms around her mother and held on tight, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok baby, mommy will be able to fix it, and then everything will be fine."

"Daddy won't leave me right? Like my real daddy did?" Karen could feel the girl's tears soaking through her shirt.

"No, he won't leave, he's not angry either, just shocked and a little upset."

"Can I go say I'm sorry?"

Karen looked outside her office to see Lassiter sitting at his desk staring aimlessly at something she couldn't see sitting on top of it. The rest of the station was sneaking glances at him (and her office) as they pretended to do work… "Sure, I think he would like that."

Iris released her mom from her death grip and stood up. Joining her daughter Karen took hold of Iris's hand and walked out of her office over to Lassiter's desk. She could practically feel everyone's eyes boring into the three of them… all wondering what was going to happen.

"Daddy…" Iris said softy. Lassiter turned to look at her as she rubbed a few tears off her cheeks, only to have them replaced by a few more, "I'm… sorry… I made you… upset…. Please… don't leave me… and mommy… like my real… daddy did…."

Carlton's lips twitched into a very small smile as he picked up the girl into his arms, holding her close, "I'm not going anywhere darlin'."

"I love you daddy."

"I love you too Iris."

_Haha! How's that… you nosey people like that? Go ahead and pry into each other's lives but leave mine alone. This is what you get for being nosey when it comes to your superior officers._

Karen smirked proudly to herself as she saw a few jaws fall open and Shawn's eyes grow two times too large for his face. She basked in the glory of shocking the station into utter silence… even Spencer wasn't saying a single thing. Lassiter looked at her and she smiled, a gesture of which he returned before he carefully stood up and planted a passionate kiss against her lips, all while still holding her daughter in a big bear hug, with Iris's arms wrapped tightly around his chest, her legs around his abdomen, and her face buried deep against his shoulder.

"I love you as well Karen."

"And I love you too Carlton," she smiled.


	6. Chapter 6: Discovery

Discovery

Karen sighed as she stretched out from sleep. Turning over she smiled when she noticed Carlton's blue eyes were watching her, "What time is it?" She asked as she gave him a small kiss.

Pulling away slowly he smiled, "It's only six."

"Hmm… and you didn't wake me earlier?"

"No, I thought I'd let you sleep, you never can tell when you'll get a call of importance."

She laughed, "Exactly why you wake me up earlier."

"It's only been thirty minutes."

"You've been lying there watching me for half an hour?" Karen asked as she pushed the covers back to stand up.

"I enjoy watching you sleep," Lassiter stopped her from getting up by grabbing gentle hold of her arm. Drawing her to him he pressed his lips to hers.

Pulling away a short distance she spoke, "You do, do you?" Then kissed him again.

"Most definitely," he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around waist.

"Hmmm… good to know," she smiled as she kissed him again, "You did bring the suitcase of clothes I told you to bring again right? I would hate for you to have to wear the same suit twice in a row."

"Of course I brought it, along with my toothbrush, and my aftershave."

"Hmmm, wonderful." She smiled sexually and kissed him again, "Now let me go so I can get dressed before Iris wakes up."

"When does she usually get up?"

"Between seven and seven thirty. I promised her pancakes and bacon."

"Sounds delicious."

"It will be if you let me start making it."

Carlton sighed before planting another kiss on her pink lips and letting her go. She smiled and laughed as she stood from the bed, "Don't worry Detective, I'm not going far,"

Kicking his legs over the bed he moved to her and wrapped his arms around her, "How about we go to the shower together?"

Leaning her head back they kissed yet again, "Sounds good to me," she smiled as she pushed his arms from around her waist and grabbed hold of his hands, leading him to the bathroom.

Karen smiled as Lassiter hugged her from behind and kissed her neck, rocking slightly from side to side. Her smile suddenly turned sour as a sick feeling claimed her stomach. Thank God Lassiter was behind her and couldn't see her face, cause she wouldn't know what to say… she felt a burning in her throat and swallowed hard to keep what was left of her dinner from the night before down, "Be careful, I've got hot bacon in the pan. I'd prefer not to have to treat any burn wounds." She said brightly, trying not to let him catch on that something was wrong.

Lassiter let go and laughed lightly, "All right, no hugging while cooking bacon."

"Could you go see what Iris would like to drink with her breakfast?"

"Sure," he kissed her neck again, "no problem."

"Thanks," she smiled after him until he was out of sight then quickly plucked the bacon from the pan, threw in a few more and made a speedy escape to the downstairs bathroom as another wave of sickness overcame her.

Dropping to her knees she found her stomach contents speeding up her throat and spilling from her mouth. After two massive heaves she felt better, flushed the toilet and leaned back against the edge of the bathtub. Closing her eyes she exhaled heavily and groaned…

_God… it's like when I was preg… no… I can't be… there's no way… _Karen counted back the days since her last period, suddenly realizing that she couldn't remember off the top of her head the last time she'd menstruated…_ Oh, God… oh dear God… I can't… there's… I can't be… there's no way… we were careful, I'm on the pill, and we used protection… there's no way… can there?_

Standing she rinsed her mouth out. Exhaling again she stepped from the bathroom and on her way back to the kitchen she grabbed a stick of gum from her purse to hide the fact that she had thrown up. Walking into the kitchen she smiled to see Carlton flipping the bacon before checking to make sure the oven was still keeping the pancakes warm, "I didn't want the bacon to burn, put all your work to waste," he explained when he noticed her standing there.

Her smile widened, "Not a problem, I need to make a quick call," she lied through her teeth, regretting it as she said it, but not wanting to tell Carlton her suspicions until she was sure.

"Hmmm?"

"Yeah, a friend of mine has been wanting me to come by to help pick out some colors for her new guest room, and I wasn't able to call her back last night. I'm going to go by this morning after dropping Iris off."

"Would you like me to come along?"

"I might be a little late coming to the station, and I don't want to give anyone anymore reason to badger us about our relationship."

He nodded his agreement, "I see what you mean, I'd hate to give Spencer another reason to bother me."

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug before moving back to the stove to finish frying the bacon.

Sighing Karen pulled into her usual parking spot and cut the engine. Running a hand down her face, Vick looked into the passenger seat to scowl at the small paper bag sitting there; not wanting to seriously believe she had bought what it contained, presently being hidden by the brown coloring of the bag, she grabbed it, shoved it into the depths of her purse to be used at a more convenient time, and headed inside the station to her office.

Karen raised her eyes to view the station… some were out dealing with petty crimes, and Juliet had taken her lunch break a bit early to spend some more time planning her upcoming wedding with Shawn. Lassiter wasn't sitting at his desk, which didn't surprise her since he'd been investigating the death of her late neighbor for the past three and a half months, and no one else was honestly around to stop her from making a B-line to the bathroom. Rifling through her purse she pulled out the bag and stepped from her office, hurrying her way to the restroom.

Pacing the tiled floor Vick looked at her watch again… twenty more seconds… she closed her eyes and exhaled as she lifted her other hand to look at the small test in her hand… dropping it as soon as she saw that the second line had already appeared…

"Oh God…" she whispered, her face paling visibly in the bathroom mirror she was staring in, as a hand flew up to her mouth. Still not wanting to believe it she glanced at the abandoned test lying on the floor… "Oh my God… I'm pregnant."


End file.
